Category Archives: Life

Faith without works….dead!

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Posted by Mel on October 22, 2010 – 12:25 pm
Filed under Church, Community, Journey

14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? James 2:14-16

Bam!!

(Just needed your attention, thought that might get it.)

Wanted to share some stuff I’ve been sorting through that continue the “be the church” thoughts this week.

I’ve found myself to be a “dead works” kind of girl for many years. I had this feeling that if I was “working” hard inside the church that was sufficient and I didn’t really need to be doing anything outside the doors of the church. But then circumstances come along and you get uprooted, turned upside down and inside out and nothing that used to make sense to you makes sense any longer. You look around at people that you’ve always had things in common with and shared life with and now things seem weird and uncomfortable. Suddenly you find yourself acting crazy and doing things like believing EVERY WORD of the bible. You start seeking out other such “crazy” people. Thoughts of selling everything you own to follow Jesus or giving it all away starts being more than a distant thought. You know those “distant” thoughts that sometimes come out of the blue and give you a little zinger! We normally don’t like those! Those thoughts we run from, hide from, ignore, stuff way down deep….know what I mean?

Well, of late, those thoughts are crowded up in my mind until I can’t get away from them. Then the craziest thing begins to happen~all those thoughts that used to be wacky and bizarre start feeling normal and all those “crazy” thoughts and people actually end up being the ones making the most sense. Go figure! You find the anxiety in your thoughts and the tight feeling in your chest that you’ve lived with a long time start going away to be replaced by crazy things like….well, peace for one; and a lot of joy; and this weird ability to be content. Even being content with the idea that all you may be left with is whatever others share with you and you share with them! Suddenly,  living, truly living and helping in community is the most important thing you will ever do here…on this earth. You realize there are no coincidences, there is no “random”. You start bumping into a lot of people with the same ideas. (I like to think of them as God designed meetings with other people that have those same ideas!)

I have so many things to talk to you about but I can’t put it all in one post. My posts on an average day run about 1100 words. That’s too many! So blogging more frequently and not as long is a must. You don’t need to spend all day reading one post on one blog! I hope you’ll check here frequently, I have a feeling God has some things in store for us. Maybe some things we’re going to help one another with!

Right now I want to leave you with something you could help me with and I would be so grateful! My 42nd birthday is coming up in December and this year I’ve given my birthday away to charitywater.org and you can go HERE to join me in celebrating. I would really love it if the goal I picked was exceeded. Maybe you could skip a breakfast out or your favorite Starbuck’s coffee just once to help me by giving that $5 to a really great organization. (Or more if you like!!) You can even watch them via internet drill wells in villages!! How cool is that?!! I know what you’re thinking~we don’t exchange birthday gifts anyway. Maybe this year could be an exception….and should you choose to do the same with your birthday this year send me a message…..BECAUSE I AM SO GIVING YOU A GIFT THIS YEAR!!!

Be the Church?

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Posted by Mel on October 18, 2010 – 1:20 pm
Filed under Church, Community, Life

I always have the best intentions to write more often! I see it’s been, once again, a month since I last blogged. I’ll have you know that in that time I’ve written some fantastic blog posts…in my mind! I seem to have these thoughts frequently but often have a hard time translating it to written word. I really do enjoy writing, I love the transparency that it allows, I very much enjoy the community involved. I even find myself enjoying a good debate should someone not agree exactly with what I have to say! I’m learning that “tension” is a good thing, it encourages you to stretch and learn and grow! I’ve also come to understand that when I’m “comfortable”…..I’ve become complacent. Not somewhere I want to be anymore, I prefer to live with that tension because it keeps me moving forward! All that being said, I feel very strongly about today’s moment of writing.

I’ve read two different accounts today of people questioning God, Christians, Church~and not in a very positive way! When I read things like that I feel overwhelmed by sadness.In the last few years I’ve read hundreds of those accounts!  I understand those feelings so well and I know the place they come from. It can absolutely swamp you, it can change your opinion, it can make you throw your hands up and walk away. What I’ve noted when reading about the Church on the world wide web is there are really only two places people camp out on “church  & God”…..love it or hate it. (At least those that weigh in on their opinions!) I try very desperately to never enter into a debate about religion….especially when someone has experienced a hurt. You are not going to change their mind by debating them. Usually, once you’ve formed your own opinion you refuse to hear what anybody says that’s on the other side of that issue. I can speak pretty comfortably about this from experience.

I can’t help but be heartbroken! I remember the despair and anguish…the absolute bewilderment that can go along with those experiences! I want so much to encourage them, to scream loudly don’t give up on God-because He never gives up on us. I want to tell them that we are all broken on the inside, that we are all slaves to our deceitful hearts that elevate selfish desires like pride and being right over love and forgiveness. I want to tell them not to give up Hope. Keep moving forward, learn and move on, but never give up! It’s easy to say that today. (I mean it’s easier for me to say that today than it would have been several years ago when it all felt hopeless to me.)

I wondered today why I wasn’t like some of the people that I encounter who hate the Church, hate God, hate anything to do with religion. I could have remained where I was~doubting, scared, empty. That emptiness I felt for 6 months after my experience felt like winter. I look back now and realize it was a season I had to go through to be here now but why doesn’t that translate for some? How do they become lost? Are they forever lost? Do we even care? Does the church even notice? I feel very conflicted and sad today. My very soul cries out to God to comfort those that have been harmed, those that have been marginalized, made invisible, broken by those that would call themselves christians but are really just Pharisees playing games. I want to yell down the house! “That experience is not a reflection of the God that loves you so much that He sent His only son to die a brutal death on a cross… so that you and I might have a way back to Him!!” I want them to know that God is not some “mystical, invisible, magician in the sky” that might not really exist. I want them to know the power and strength of His love! I want them to know what it feels like to be covered in grace! But, I can’t make them see it my way, can I? I can’t bully them or debate them or tell them to get over it.

God! Please, I pray you open people’s hearts, heal their hurts, remind them that the church is not always a reflection of the God who loves them! Connect them with Christian people that are humble and loving, that are willing to listen and who have the right words to say.

I pray desperately today for the Church. That’s all of us, we are the Church. It’s not this little church and this big church and this Methodist church and this Baptist church. WE ARE THE CHURCH! There is no division in that…..there is not one “church” that is better at being the “church” than any other. Careful, careful when you discount all the good things being done by the Church when you want to elevate your “own church” above all others. If you say things like~ “If only people would come here they would never go to another church!” It’s PRIDEFUL! It means your “agenda”, “vision”, “whatever you want to call it” is more important than sharing the gospel!  You should be saying-”How can I partner with the churches around me, become the Church that Jesus started here on earth and actually fulfill the job left to His disciples!

Is it even possible…..can we be the Church? I see a glimmer of that, I see a beginning…I see churches partnering with one another,sharing resources, not participating in the “competitor” mentality, starting ministries in their communities with other churches.  I like what I see! I’m starting to see a little bit of Acts 2:42-47 and it’s really good.

This is what I think “Church” is….

42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.43 Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and held everything in common, 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,

47 praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.  Acts 2:42-47

I believe.

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Posted by Mel on September 2, 2010 – 2:16 pm
Filed under Church, Community, Grace, Journey

I believe!

For now…..I’m just content to share what’s happening, what I’m thinking, how I’m living, some of the stupid mistakes I make, some of the things I believe in, things that make me smile, things that get me riled up – you get the idea. I’m going to leave you with a few things I believe, this might be a list you want to set down and pound out for yourself and maybe it’ll be something you want to share with someone else.

  • I believe………in grace – not just receiving it but passing it on. I still don’t understand it but I know we all need it and we get it for free. So, I better be extending it freely.
  • I believe………in a God who loves me enough to be tough on me when I need it.
  • I believe………God has a purpose for my life God wants me to glorify him in everything I do.
  • I believe………in following that purpose for my life God, even during the rough moments.
  • I believe………God’s not done with me yet.
  • I believe………in my husband, my kids, my parents, my brothers, their families, my church, my cell family, my friendships.
  • I believe………in learning the most I can from every experience – good or bad.
  • I believe………that iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17) Still love this one and the people in my life & circumstances that contribute to it.
  • I believe………in the church.
  • I believe………as Christians we should extend love, grace, and compassion to all people & show joy, peace, a longsuffering attitude, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control.
  • I believe………in taking the church to the world and not the opposite-taking the world to church.
  • I believe………as Christians we need to take off the blinders and step out of the bubbles.
  • I believe………that this life will be a journey up mountains and through valleys.
  • I believe………I am never alone.
  • I believe………in a Father who loves me and has great things in store if I will only believe! provides joy even in the midst of some pretty tough circumstances.

I wrote that post what seems like a long time ago. A lot has happened since then! That was May 2009 and it was the beginning of a thaw in my heart. A glimpse of spring and a season of discovery were just around the corner. I didn’t know where I was headed but I knew where I’d been. I’ve learned a lot of things this past year. I’ve learned a lot about forgiveness, both the giving and receiving of it, how to deal with conflict and survive, how to love people and survive! I’m learning a lot about community and how to participate with an open heart. I’m learning to speak into someone’s life in love and NOT with a battering ram! Thank goodness, right? I’m learning where my passions are and things that I really love to do! I’m learning that everything I do has a purpose for His glory.

As I read this list again I realized what I believe has grown stronger as I’ve “grown up” a little. There have been some adjustments in what I believe as I’ve grown. God’s word has a lot to do with what I believe now! It’s funny how things look a little different when you read that book for yourself! I’ve realized that my heart without Jesus is a wicked and deceitful place and that any time I elevate my earthly desires I fall right back into sin.

Some of the circumstances of my life have changed. My attitudes about certain things have changed. My desire to be on mission for God and what that looks like is developing. My willingness to live boldly? Good question! Well it’s coming, and I have a whole lot of learning left to do along the way!! I continue to be a work in progress, but I’m not the same person I was even a year ago. There’s something about grace and faith and taking it all in and then breathing it out that leaves you forever changed!

Did you ever work on your list? Have you pounded out in black and white what you believe? Are you different than you were a year ago? Are you more loving, full of joy, a peacemaker, longsuffering, full of kindness, goodness, & faithfulness? Do you live your life with gentleness and self-control? Where are you on your journey? Are you tired, or bored, or maybe a little sad? Just a friendly little challenge, maybe it’s time…for you to sit down and make that list and spend some time with the one who loves you the most!

Happy Anniversary, sweet Michael!

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Posted by Mel on August 12, 2010 – 12:00 am
Filed under Journey, Love, Michael, Relationships

Remember that day? What a crazy time! We’ve had a few of those in our life together. Looking back over 23 years of marriage I realized I wouldn’t trade a moment-good or bad. I just wanted you to know on this “Friday the 13th” that I love you more today than I did that day a long time ago. Is that bad to say? That I love you more now than I did then. If anyone would understand that you would! We were such kids..there were lots of things I didn’t know back then that I had to learn along the way. Thank you for being so patient with me all these years.

I’m looking forward to whatever comes next and wherever we go from here. I’m so excited as we’re learning and sharing what it means to love Jesus and love people and follow Him wherever he leads. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than right in the middle of this crazy life with you and  I couldn’t let this day pass without telling you…..

Happy  Anniversary &  I love you so  very much!

My constant…

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Posted by Mel on June 12, 2010 – 8:39 pm
Filed under Freedom, Journey

con·stant

–adjective

1. not changing or varying; uniform; regular; invariable
2. continuing without pause or letup; unceasing
3. regularly recurrent; continual; persistent:
4. faithful; unswerving in love, devotion, etc.
5. steadfast; firm in mind or purpose; resolute.

I love words and definitions and writing and yes, I even love spelling. That’s the hidden English major coming out in me! I was thinking about people and moments in my life today and that word above popped into my head….”constant”. There are some people and some little routines I have that I consider a “constant”, I was reminded of those things today. I realized how much I take those things for granted. I expect them to always be there because they have always been there.  They, whether people or circumstances, are the same every day. I can depend on those constants, I feel secure and like the world makes sense in some way. Those things provide me with comfort and when they are gone it leaves a longing inside of me. A moment today made me realize that those things can be gone in a second, never to be done again….never to be experienced.
I’ve been reading chronologically in my bible and as I’ve read through the Old Testament I find myself getting to know God in a different way. I’ve always believed there was a God, even before I experienced salvation…but I never really took the time to get to know Him. I realized today as I was thinking about all the different “constants” in my life how God fills every one of those definitions above.  Never changing or varying the same God I read about in the Old Testament is the same one I seek today. He’s never paused or given up on me. He is continuous and I love that He is persistent. It’s the last two lines that really get me …He is~faithful; unswerving in love, devotion, He is~steadfast; firm in mind or purpose; resolute. He is that one thing in my life that is “constant”.  He fills that empty ache and longing that I used to get. That hole that I carried around in my heart, that I tried to fill with a lot of my earthly desires it could only be filled by Him.

A little update….

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Posted by Mel on June 12, 2010 – 8:29 pm
Filed under Emilee, Family, Journey

Michael & I have prayed for a very long time that Emilee would meet Jesus in a way that would forever change her life. Emilee is our child that will never know a time when Jesus wasn’t the entire focus of this family, the love of our lives, the leader of our hearts. A relationship with Jesus had to be her decision, something we couldn’t do for her. So we have prayed for God to fill her life with his love. Next Saturday we will joyfully participate in Emilee’s baptism & celebrate with her as she publicly declares that Jesus will forever live in her heart! Many of you have been amazing and wonderful examples of God’s love in Emilee’s young life-thank you for that.

So many things coming up for the Goldsmith family over the next couple of months! Michael and Seth off on mission trips. Michael to Haiti and Seth to Baja, Mexico with the Newsboys. I know that these moments will forever change their view of the world. May they gain an awareness of the needs of others that will lead them to a life of outward focus.  July will also bring a trip to the Lake to honor John Howser at the Howser Music Fest. What a great way to spend time with others and honor John’s legacy and his impact on our lives. This summer finds me headed back to school and while I’m both excited and a little nervous I am already looking forward to being done! I’m also back to working only as needed-no more full time hours right now.

So much happening, it kind of makes my head spin! I’d appreciate it so much if you could join me in praying for the guys while they are away from home and prayer for Emilee as she starts her own journey with God as the center of her life…that would be so great. Prayer is a powerful thing! If you could pray for me as I start class that will help me get through this next year-I know I’ll need a lot of prayer!

Looking forward to sharing some more “quiet thoughts” over the summer as well. My husband did mention I should write a little more often so that each post doesn’t seem like a novel! I’ll see what I can do. I might have to change the name of the blog to Mel’s Rambling Thoughts! As always, thanks for reading.

Living in freedom,

Mel

Choosing Forgiveness…..

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Posted by Mel on June 6, 2010 – 7:26 am
Filed under Books, Freedom, Journey

May was a month of storms! I talked about them a lot here, they came up a lot at church as we looked into the life of Naomi and Ruth, & we  experienced a couple of crazy spring storms..one that Michael and I rode out in our vehicle!! Storms will always be around! What I think God has been teaching me lately is…that no matter the storm-He is with me!! I believe that, I always have but I didn’t always recognize it. Like a little child sometimes it was easier to go through the rough stuff with anger and bitterness in my heart. Throwing a temper tantrum because my life wasn’t going as I had planned it!! I’m truly thankful that God continues to love me even in the middle of that big attitude! Michael wanted me to remind you how awesome God has been to me through the storms I’ve experienced. So I wanted to end this time of storms with a look back at the changes!!

I could go into a whole story of how God brought my family through some storms, but that might be better left for a book someday!! Too many words!! I do want you to know that out of the storms of my life God is transforming my entire person…my beliefs, my attitude, my proud spirit! One of the things I’ve found recently is God’s loving teaching on forgiveness. I’m really bad about holding a multitude of sins against sinners, including myself! I realize the anger and bitterness I sometimes hold onto during  a storm comes from a very strong desire to protect a very broken heart. (and obviously not trusting God to heal my broken heart!) We’ve all been broken-hearted in some way or another, either by choices we’ve made or by circumstances completely out of our control. Sometimes, I want to blame God, because that seems easy and then I don’t have to take any responsibility for my own actions. But if I remember correctly the Word tells me God doesn’t have any plans to harm me….but to prosper me! Blame can be a dangerous game to be engaged in, sometimes when we’re busy pointing the finger somewhere else we ignore the thumb that’s pointing back at us!!

I learned a lot about bitterness as we studied in Ruth this past month. Remember Naomi?  Call me Mara…which means bitterness! How many times have I found myself in that very same circumstance! Call me Mara! As you continue in Ruth’s story, and what a great story it is, you realize it’s about redemption and God’s grace in our lives! A lot like some of the chapters of my own story! I don’t want to live my story clouded with bitterness and anger anymore! When I gave up control of those situations I began to see God’s amazing work on my heart!

Above you might have noticed a picture of a book…Choosing Forgiveness. I just finished this book and I can’t tell you how it’s impacted my ideas on forgiveness! I thought I’d share the title with you, as maybe your in need of some talk about forgiveness. There have been some people in my life I’ve had to go to and ask their forgiveness, which is never easy! There have also been people I’ve needed to forgive, which for me is even harder! And sometimes it’s me that I need to let off the hook and forgive! Surprising, huh? Whatever circumstances you find yourself in Ms. DeMoss’s book will certainly challenge you to take a good look at where you are! She shares some great scripture through out the book and I plan on keeping those close to my heart!

I pray this morning that if you find yourself trapped in anger and bitterness that you find love and forgiveness in whatever situation is holding you captive. Because, dear one, that’s where you are- trapped, held captive in unforgiveness…….that is all anger and bitterness will bring you. It doesn’t heal your heart, it just holds you prisoner.

It must always come back to this picture for me-a perfect God in the form of an earthly man, shouldering my sins and hanging on a cross-to die a brutal death-FOR ME, FOR MY SINS….so I could have forgiveness! The truth is I did nothing and continue to do nothing to deserve any of it!  It defies human understanding. But I have learned this-if I never translate that to my own life and extend forgiveness to others then I am just selfish and foolish and I really don’t get it! You can’t talk about grace or love or joy or any of those other words we like to throw around without living a life of forgiveness…extended to one another. It makes Christ’s sacrifice on the cross seem unimportant….when it is the ultimate sacrifice that only a most Holy God could provide. It must be the center of my life…it is a story of forgiveness, grace, love, sacrifice….and ultimately joy in His resurrection.  See…He’s not in that grave anymore and there are a lot of us that say we love him that live like He’s still there. Not me, not anymore and hopefully not you! There is a mighty power in going through life’s storms. I hope you find yourself running to them and not resisting them because I can tell you in the storms of my life I’ve found Him! Not a glossy pictured  “happy” Jesus…but the Jesus that would hang naked on a cross, mighty to save…even a sinner like me!

Living in Freedom,

Mel

Guest Blogger: Audra Hibbs

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Posted by Mel on May 16, 2010 – 9:06 pm
Filed under Community, Journey, Women

Out of life’s storms come….hope! A hope- for better life circumstances, a closer walk with God, a realization of what is truly important! I have this amazing blessing of sharing life with some beautiful, Godly women who have these amazing stories and they live life willing to share their stormy moments in the hopes that it might bring hope to someone’s journey.  My friend Audra is one of those women. She has this amazing story that has had a huge impact on my life and I thought it would be great if she would be willing to share a little of her story here.  When I approached her about writing her story to share on the blog…she was absolutely agreeable.  Audra’s story is a story of hope and relationship with God and a “more excellent way”.  Audra and I had the unique experience of getting to know each other during my years as flag corps sponsor with the FHS band. Audra was in my first flag corps at Fredericktown, which that’s been 11years ago now! We were both much younger! I had just turned 30 and Audra was probably all of 14! She has had a huge impact on my journey with God. It was through her example as a young girl who loved Jesus with all her heart that encouraged me as I started my journey with God. After our paths had gone in different direction for several years God has put Audra and I back in relationship over the last two years….He always knows what we need!! During a very dark time in my journey God sent Audra and her story to give me hope and I don’t even think Audra realizes how important her words were to me at that time. Audra is a lot of things and I could write pages about her amazing character but what I want you to know about her is that she loves Jesus with this fierce and intense passion that is truly contagious to all around her. She is wise beyond her young years and she writes the most amazing, God-inspired words that are honest and raw. I hope when you get done reading her words here you’ll jump over to her blog-incomplete ramblings… and read some of her posts, they will impact your life!

Without any further “ramblings” on my part, Audra’s story………..

Dark Days

I’ve always loved rainy days.  Few things recharge my soul like an afternoon spent curled up under a fuzzy blanket, reading a book and listening to the gentle way rain hits the glass on my window.  And the distinctively green smell of the world after the rain passes.

Much like my affection for rainy days, the Lord has instilled in me over time a love for life-storms.  It seems counter-intuitive, really, and it hasn’t always been that way.  There was a specific period of my life that I refer to as my dark days.  At the time, it felt like every worst-case scenario that could arise arose…all at once.  My long-term relationship ended when the man with whom I’d been planning a life told me that he was homosexual; that moment alone created an epic war in the battleground of my heart in which Jesus and Satan battled it out for control over my perception of my femininity over the course of several years.  My brother and his wife, who had been like a second set of parents to me, separated and filed for divorce.  In the span of one year, three of my close friends passed away.  My childhood friends and I began to grow apart, simply because of the wear and tear of time and distance.  Change lurked around every corner, so much that it disoriented me on every possible level.  It felt as though a part of me was dying; every part of my life that I thought I could count on began to tear away at the seams.  And as that happened, my heart went through the same process of tearing and mending, ripping and healing.

But looking back on my life, my dark days, my great storm…they changed everything.  It took away from me the mediocre and gave me the extraordinary.  It took from me a life that was comfortable and sensible and predictable and gave me a life that is daily unexpected and unpredictable and vulnerable and infinitely more rewarding than anything I could have dreamed up on my own.  I have a career and a ministry and a circle of friendships and a husband that I would never trade for anything; each of them things and people that would have been forsaken had my former life stayed intact.

One of my favorite scriptures is I Corinthians 12:31: “But eagerly desire the greater gifts, and I will show you a still more excellent way.”  This verse has become the most accurate description of the way I view the storms we encounter as believers or, more broadly, as humans.

I believe it’s easy for us to desire the greater gifts and get stuck there.  To dream up the life we desire, and to desire it so much that our brains can’t even comprehend anything more wonderful.  And yet, there’s always a more wonderful adventure to come; we always have a Creator whose nature is more extravagant than we can imagine.  And sometimes, when we become so stuck in those “greater things” we’re desiring, I think the Lord finds that the only way to get us to let go is to tear down those things long enough to show us His “still more excellent way.”

I believe there will always be another storm to come as long as we’re ardently chasing Christ; because as long as we’re chasing Christ, there will always be another level to His more excellent ways, at least until Heaven comes to Earth in completion.

So eagerly desire those greater gifts.  And when the Lord uses the storms of this life to tear them down, live not only in contentment but in hope, knowing that He’s about to reveal to you another of His endless progression of excellent ways.

Psalm 29

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Posted by Mel on May 15, 2010 – 10:52 am
Filed under Freedom, Journey, Uncategorized

As I read through the Bible I find myself hearing more and more from God. Funny how that works!! Recently I posted about storms in my life and what that means to me…how it has impacted my life.

I watched a video recently where Mandisa talks about hearing from God and how she believes that God still speaks to us. I have that belief and faith that God is still speaking. I often wonder, “Do we still listen?” After my last post I went to church and of course, we talked about storms. We’ve started a new series at church on the book of Ruth that is having a huge impact. God is speaking!! So this topic of storms has come up a lot since I wrote my last post. While reading this morning in Psalms-you guessed it-storms again in Chapter 29. David talks about the might of God and His storms. The chapter starts with shouting Bravo, God Bravo!!! Gods and all angels shout, “Encore!” They are awesomely praising God for this crazy, huge, awesome storm that just sounds insane and scary. Not usually my first reaction to a storm and asking for an encore seems a little crazy.

The very next verse David talks about “being in awe before the glory, in awe about God’s visible power!” Catch that word “visible”? That’s what I find myself looking for most-a visibly present God in my every day circumstances. Although, it is God’s “visible” power that I so often overlook because of my own fear and indecision. I also get too wrapped up in dreaming life, that I forget to “live” my life. Or I get too worried about failing to try anything. He’s teaching me to stop waiting for the best circumstances and just jump. I’m learning on this journey that failing is no longer a bad word, it’s a step to learning. If I don’t ever fail….then I’m probably not ever going to learn!

As I read about David, I’m really starting to get to know him better and realize why he is a man after God’s own heart! And in the midst of all this crazy storm in vs. 9 David says, “We fall to our knees-we call out, “Glory”! What other response could you have…when you are seeing God’s visible power. I don’t think people do that enough anymore, fall to their knees. I have seen that one time in the last 8 years of church attendance….one time that someone fell on their knees in front of God. That’s a whole other blog post to write!!

My favorite part of the chapter comes at the end. (And no it’s not that the storm is over!!) It’s when I read-God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace. What an amazing promise….through the storms we become stronger and in the midst of it all we find peace. I’m learning to take the storms for what they are and to not fear them as much but to learn from them. I’ve decided to take the storms because He is with me through every one and I’d rather be with Him than go back to living the way I used to when I was lost!!

I know this chapter shouted out to me this morning and I know a lot of people are facing storms right now in their lives-so I hope that you found peace in the words of Psalm 29.

The Storm.

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Posted by Mel on May 1, 2010 – 9:25 pm
Filed under Freedom, Journey

“There’s a storm coming in the distance.

Some will run to it and some will resist it.

Our eyes will turn to the sky.

With desert hearts looking to the heavens, desperate for your holy fountain, our eyes will turn to the sky.

Rain down on earth, Father. Rain down on earth, Spirit. Rain down on earth, Jesus. Rain down on earth.”

~Carlos Whittaker

Storms….Do you run “to” them or do you “resist” them? Me? I fall on the side of resisting them.  I don’t like storms one bit and as far back as I have memories  I’ve always feared them.

Last night Michael & I got caught right in the middle of a huge storm coming home from Farmington. The lightning started out looking like the picture above but when the rain and wind came it was flashing so fast it became a blinding white light. That light wasn’t illuminating it was disorienting. For a while I wasn’t even sure we were driving on the road anymore. But we just kept going, forward, moving very slowly and just as slowly the storm started to let up. That’s the best thing about a storm-that it has an ending. It doesn’t last forever, although sometimes it seems that way, there is always going to be an end.

I’ve thought a lot today about how overwhelming some of the storms in my life have been. I also realize if I hadn’t experienced those storms I would never be any different. I would be  making the same mistakes, I’d never learn anything new, and I certainly would never have allowed God total access to every part of my life. I know that the storms are going to keep rolling and they won’t be comfortable but I believe in how they can shape me. I have come to the painful awareness that life is not about what I can accumulate in the way of possessions, it’s not about my status or how important I think I am, and it’s certainly not about arriving at death safely. It is however about giving away everything I have to follow Him, it’s about relationships and community and it’s about living life to it’s absolute fullest. Storms included!!! The moment those ideas became real in my life…I realized I’d never be completely “comfortable” in this life anymore. I don’t think we’re meant to be comfortable here. Wouldn’t it make heaven seem insignificant and unimportant? Don’t you think?

I love the lyrics above, they are beautiful and honest and very raw, the moment I heard them I felt their impact. No longer do I want to resist…..I realize it’s in those stormy moments that God fills me with what my heart has been looking for all along~Freedom, joy, love without measure…and peace in the midst of the worst storm. I desire the rain, it changes me..forever. No longer do I feel trapped by the same old things.

I hope in the midst of whatever storm you are experiencing that you meet God there, it will forever change you and may it encourage you to live dangerously and boldly, in complete joy and freedom with love and peace always invading your heart.

That is my prayer for you…..